A giant prison space ship is badly damaged by a meteor storm. Things go from bad to worse when the ship’s captain goes insane and butchers anyone trying to escape from the disabled ship. It’s a prison, after all, you’re not allowed off, no matter what!

We’re told about this set up largely in flashback as the lone survivor of the attack tries to maintain his own sanity, deal with hunger and dehydration, and avoid the murderous captain, all while trying to find a way to get off the sinking ship and survive the disaster. Most of the action takes place within an internal dialog while the survivor scampers about the ship, trying not to die horribly in any number of ways. We see his own mind slipping away as the stress mounts, and it is very well handled, both creating a connection between character and reader, and creating phantom characters which allow the story to move along. It’s a great device, and it’s well done.

The book is a little story light, but the writing still manages to make an impact. The weight of being alone in space is really clear, as is the horror of the massacre. I didn’t like how the twist was revealed, which is a shame. I didn’t see it coming, and I think it would have had a better impact if it had been presented well. As it is, this issue feels a little like a 20 page build up for a cheesy one-liner joke. It didn’t spoil the ride, though, and I’ll forgive it if the story picks back up in issue two.

The art is fine, and suitably dark for the metaphoric and literal atmosphere. It makes things a little hard to understand sometimes, but it would be even worse if a story about insanity and murder in the void of deep space was bright and colorful. Everybody looks the same in a standard issue spacesuit, that’s just a fact of life.

Void #1 gets a recommendation from me because of the writing. The story isn’t groundbreaking, the art isn’t amazing, but how everything is presented shows talent. I like the story enough to want to see where this talent takes it, and the art doesn’t ruin anything. That’s plenty to keep me happy.

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Comments:

“Brian has been a nerd, gamer, and comic book geek since the NES was
cool, nerds weren’t, and comics cost $0.75. Though his hobbies now
cost a fair bit more, he is no less passionate about his escapism. He
is proud to be a part of both the Florida Geek Scene and The
Nerdstravaganza Podcast.”